2 survive plane crash in Lilongwe

Two people yesterday survived a plane crash after a private aircraft they were flying in crashed near Kamuzu International Airport (KIA) in Lilongwe due to engine failure.

Department of Civil Aviation acting director Samuel Kalua said the aircraft, belonging to Eastrise Aviation Limited, crashed due to engine failure which made the pilot miss the runway during landing.

He said: “There were two people in the aircraft, one was the instructor while the other was a student pilot. They left at 10am and had been in the air for 14 minutes when the pilot declared an emergency with the air traffic control.

“He [the pilot] then requested for an immediate landing permission which he was granted. The pilot also stated that he had lost engine power.”

Kalua said in an attempt to land, the pilot missed the runway and landed 1.4 kilometres away which resulted in overturning of the plane, causing excessive damage of the nose gear, but the people on board managed to get out of the plane.

The two survivors were taken to Lumbadzi Health Centre for medical check-up.

In a separate interview, Minister of Transport Jacob Hara said while he was aware of the accident, the ministry was yet to have official investigation results.

He said a thorough investigation will be undertaken.